Tendai Gukutikwa-Mutare Bureau
THE Zimbabwe Independent Complaints Commission (ZICC) is set to recruit 36 additional officers following Treasury approval, in a move expected to strengthen investigations into alleged misconduct by members of the security services.
The recruitment drive addresses severe staffing shortages at the Commission, which currently has only 35 officers in post against an approved establishment of 144.
Speaking at a strategic planning review workshop in Nyanga recently, Executive Secretary Retired Justice Webster Chinamora said Treasury granted concurrence for the new posts following a job evaluation exercise.
“Of an approved establishment of 144 posts, we currently have 35 officers in post,” he said.
“Treasury has given concurrence to the recruitment of a further 36 posts following the job evaluation exercise, and the Commission has set itself the task of bringing those officers on board without delay.”
Justice Chinamora noted that operational bottlenecks—including slow information exchange with security services, poor records management, procurement delays and weak departmental coordination—were hampering the speed and effectiveness of investigations.
“The complainant experiences one Commission, not a set of departments. Intake, assessment, investigation, early warning, legal services, communications and corporate services must therefore operate as one system with one standard of service,” he said.
To ensure decisions are backed by solid evidence and due process, the Commission is bolstering its Complaints Assessment Committee and Investigations Committee.
It is also prioritising decentralisation to bring services closer to communities outside Harare, supporting its target of investigating 300 cases in 2027.
“A Commission that can only be reached in Harare is not accessible to the majority of Zimbabweans,” Justice Chinamora said.
He cautioned against interpreting low complaint numbers as proof that misconduct does not occur, pointing out that limited public awareness and fear of reprisals often deter victims from reporting. He urged more targeted outreach in under-reporting areas.
ZICC is also exploring the establishment of a dedicated training academy to build professional capacity within the institution and across the security services, though Justice Chinamora stressed that the project requires proper costing and measurable targets.
Ultimately, he added, the body must be judged by the fairness of its probes and the remedies secured for victims.
“The measure of this Commission will not be the number of pages in its strategic plan or the number of activities it records.
“It will be the quality and fairness of its investigations, the accessibility of its processes, the integrity of its recommendations, the remedies it secures for those who have been wronged, and the confidence it earns from the people of Zimbabwe and from the services it oversees,” he said.
Established under Section 210 of the Constitution, ZICC provides an independent mechanism to receive and investigate public complaints against security service personnel and recommend appropriate remedies.
